Destiny Unfolds
by DamonsDarkness
Summary: Ella has never been interested in the Royal family of Kyrria, especially the Prince. She was annoyed that every girl fancied him. So when a handsome young stranger seeks her help, will she realise who he is? And when she finds out, will she fall in love?
1. Chapter 1

I've noticed that there are not enough Char/Ella romance stories on here... So I decided to write one of my own full of Char/Ella fluff... Enjoy! Ps: Ella doesn't have the curse in my story.

**Destiny Unfolds**

I woke up that morning to the gentle sound of rain falling on the rooftop. I sighed. It was Sunday, and even though I had the house to myself for once, I knew it wouldn't be long before my stepmother Olga, Hattie and Olive would arrive home from the local market place. There were many household chores that had to be done before they got back, and I was the one who had to do them. I sighed again, rolled over on my bed and sunk my head into the pillow.

Half an hour later, I was up and dressed, ready to tackle my daily chores when I heard footsteps along the pebbled path, approaching the front door to the house. Surely that wasn't my stepfamily back already?

Curiously, I walked over to the window and peered through the opening in the curtain. A young man no older than 25 was standing right in front of the door doubled over, wet from the rain and holding his left arm across his chest. I gasped and immediately rushed to go assist him. He managed one knock on the door before I quickly opened it.

"Oh, thank heavens. Someone's home…" The man spoke taking deep breaths.

I quickly blurted out... "Are you alright – do you need a doctor?"

The man stood up straight and looked at me for a moment before glancing down at his left arm.

"Oh, no it's just a sprain. I'm sure I'll be fine…" He did a terrible job at hiding the pained look on his face though.

"Ok" I replied slowly, not really knowing what else to say. If he didn't want help, what did he want?

"I am dreadfully sorry to bother you, but I am actually looking for my horse. You haven't happened to have seen one wondering around have you?" I noticed that he spoke with such a formal, English accent.

"Umm" I had a quick glance around over his shoulder. "No, sorry I haven't… Are you sure you're not in any pain sir? You don't look too well" I said, looking down at the arm he was tightly holding across his chest.

The man sighed a little and looked up at me from under his damp curly brown hair which had plastered down to his forehead.

"Is it that obvious?" He chuckled slightly. "I thought I'd be able to handle the pain and wait until I got back to -" He cut off suddenly.

Either because he was about to say something he shouldn't in front of me, or because at that moment, the rain started to fall even heavier and he looked up, shielding his eyes. Without thinking whether or not I should let a stranger into the house, I stepped aside and gestured for him to come in out of the rain.

"Thank you" He smiled as he stepped past me and into the living room.

"Let me get you a towel so you don't drip water everywhere. And I'm certain we've got some bandages around here… I'll be right back" I said, running up the stairs.

As I entered back into the main room, the man seemed a little uncomfortable.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you like this" He said as he took the towel I had offered and began to wipe himself down.

"It's no trouble at all; I mean I can't very well leave you out there in the rain with no horse and a sprained arm"

He stared at me with his lovely bright blue sparkling eyes and a wide smile that would make any girl melt. This was one handsome man, the kind of man Hattie would drool over. I mentally shook myself out of it and offered him a seat at the dining table. He continued to study my face as he sat down and carefully propped his sore arm onto the table.

"May I ask, what is your name?"

I stopped fiddling with the bandage that was in my hands and looked down at him.

"Ella" I replied, placing the bandage down onto the table and pulling a chair out for myself. "Ella of Frell" I added.

The man gave me that lovely heart warming smile again, and I couldn't help but to smile in return.

"So…" I interrupted, breaking the silence. "How'd you sprain your arm?"

"Ah, yes…" He started, shifting in his chair as he recollected what had happened. "Well I was riding my horse into Frell, when all of a sudden he got spooked by a loud noise coming from a nearby bush. He got scared and raised up on his hind legs. This action caught me off guard and I fell off, landing hard on my arm"

"And what happened, he just left you there?" I asked.

"Yes. Took off somewhere in this direction…"

"Hmm. Well in the meantime, would you like me to bandage that up for you?" I offered, pointing to his arm.

"Please. If you'd be so kind, I'd be very grateful".

"It's no problem" I smiled. He was wearing a navy velvet jacket over a white billowy shirt. "I might have to get you to take that off though. So I can get to your arm" I said while trying not to blush.

"Oh, of course"

I watched him and studied his facial features as he took off his jacket and rolled up his left sleeve. I gulped. His shirt was quite wet and his muscled torso was slightly visible through the thin white material. I forced my eyes away and focused on unraveling the bandage. Gently I started to wrap the bandage around, starting from the wrist and working my way up the arm.

"Have you done this before?" He asked. "I mean, you seem to know what you're doing"

I smiled and kept my eyes on his arm. "Yes, my mother was a nurse and I learnt a little from her… Sadly she passed away before I was 10 years old".

"I'm so sorry" He spoke sincerely.

I tied the end of the bandage together and rolled his sleeve back down.

"I've sprained my arm before. I accidentally fell out of a tree" I said, while leaning back in my chair.

"You... fell out of a tree?" He sounded rather shocked. "What on earth were you doing up there in the first place?"

I laughed a little. "I used to climb them of course. Great fun"

"Really? I can't say that I've ever had any desire to climb trees" He chuckled, running his other hand thought his curly brown hair.

All of a sudden I blurted out "I'm sorry, but I don't think I caught your name…"

He focused his bright blue eyes on mine and blinked twice before replying "Oh, my apologies… My name is - Char" He cleared his throat and then broke eye contact with me.

I nodded, somehow feeling a little awkward for asking him. Suddenly he looked back towards me and slowly smiled.

"I haven't met a girl quite like you, Ella"

"Um, I hope that's not a bad thing..." I said rather shyly.

"No. Trust me, it's a good thing" He assured me looking straight into my eyes.

All of a sudden a sound came from outside, round the back of the house. It sounded like a horse neighing.

"That must be my horse, Flame!" He beamed, grabbing his jacket and standing up.

I got also got up and quickly led him out the back. Sure enough there was a beautiful white horse chewing on the wet grass. I looked up at the sky; the clouds seemed to be clearing. Char rushed over to Flame and grabbed it by the reins, patting his neck and muttering something about how naughty the horse was for running off.

"But, there was one positive thing to come out of you running off…" Char said, now turning to face me. "I was able to mee you, Ella".

I stepped passed him and went over to pat his horse. My cheeks were blushing and there was no way I wanted him to see that.

"He's such a beautiful horse" I stated, trying to change the subject.

"Yes…. Maybe one time – if you want to… I could take you for a ride?" Char asked, seeming a little nervous.

"I've never ridden a horse before…" I said, finally taking my gaze off the horse and onto Char.

He chuckled, apparently finding that amusing. "Well Ella, if you can climb trees, I'm certain you can ride a horse".

I laughed at that, nodding my head to agree.

"So what do you say?" He asked, taking a step closer to me.

"Umm, I don't know… there are many things I have to do, and my stepfamily -" I was cut off by the sound of a carriage approaching the front of the house. "Oh no, that's them now! Quick, I'm sorry but you must leave. My stepmother is rather strict and I can't let her think I've been wasting time talking to a man"

"Oh, I see. Well I'm sorry if I've wasted your time Ella" He said looking rather hurt, as he mounted his horse and took the reins.

"Oh, no…" I said quickly trying to correct myself, while subconsciously placing my hand on his lower leg to stop him from riding off. "I didn't mean it like that – it's just…"

I struggled to find the right words "There's a lot of chores that have to be done around the house… but Char, it's been really nice meeting you"

He eventually smiled, then looked down at my hand which was firmly gripping his leg.

"Oh, I'm so sorry" I quickly let go and turned around blushing furiously.

"Ella, there is something I must do here in Frell… but later this afternoon, may I come back to see you again?"

I turned back around and looked up at the hopeful expression on his face.

"I suppose so…"

"Great! It's settled then. I'll be back around 3.30pm"

"Only on one condition…" I blurted out, causing him to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh, and what might that be? He questioned.

"You take me for a ride on Flame" I smiled.

He laughed and gave me a lovely grin. "It's a deal! Thank you very much for taking care of my arm, Ella"

"It was no problem at all" I smiled, waving him off as he gently kicked his horse to start walking.

"See you later, Ella of Frell"

"See you Char, take care of that arm!" I waved him off as he headed down the path.

I stood there for a moment after he had left my sight, trying to take in everything that had just happened. Ok, a very handsome young man had just knocked on my door, I bandaged his arm and now he's coming back later to take me for a ride on his horse. What a great day! I thought to myself. But who was this Char? Where did he travel from and what is he doing here in Frell?


	2. Chapter 2

Back inside the house, Hattie was screaming out like an excited little school girl. As soon as I entered the main living room I found out why. Hattie was holding up a hideous bright yellow dress, pressing it against her body and screaming "It's perfect" about a hundred times. Olive, who was giggling uncontrollably, was also holding up an equally hideous dress which was lime green.

"Oh, there you are Ella" My stepmother called from across the room. "Make us all a cup of tea would you".

I sighed and headed off towards the kitchen, when I heard Hattie squeal "Prince Charmont will most definitely notice me in this dress, I'll be the envy of every girl in Frell".

I immediately froze on the spot. Prince Charmont… Char? The Prince of Kyrria? I spun around quickly.

"Prince Charmont?!" I blurted out.

"What? Don't tell me you actually care Ella. I thought you were against all royalty of Kyrria?" Hattie spat rudely.

"I am!" I responded quickly. "But, I just didn't realise..." I cut off abruptly. I couldn't let Hattie know that Char was here, in the house.

"For your information, the Prince will be making an appearance in the Town Square at noon. That's why mother bought me this beautiful dress. I have to make a good impression… and being the president of his fan club, Prince Charmont will most definitely want to talk to me"

"Yes, I'm sure he won't be able to look at any other girl as you will most probably blind him with your-"

"Beauty" Hattie added in, twirling her curly blonde hair around her finger.

"Bright yellow dress" I finished.

"Oh!" Hattie stamped her foot in frustration. "You're just jealous!"

"No, I most certainly am not" I chuckled and headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

I can't believe it, I thought to myself. Why didn't Char gloat about the whole prince thing? I thought all royalty were stuck up, obnoxious people with boring personalities. But Char was lovely, nothing like what I had imagined. I mentally kicked myself – Why hadn't I ever looked at a single picture of him so that might have known what he looked like? My whole life I avoided any conversations about royalty, and never even knew the prince's name. Oh, he must've thought I was an idiot for not recognising him! But… he's coming back to see me later… and he's taking me for a ride on his horse! I better keep this quiet, Hattie would kill me if she found out I was interacting with 'her' prince.

I finished making their tea, set it down on the dining table and went up to my bedroom to think.

Should I go to the Town Square and see what all the fuss is about? Maybe I should just wait for him to return back here. After all he didn't invite me to go… but then again he didn't tell me he was the Prince either. No, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to go. What's so interesting about some Prince standing on a podium, waving to hundreds of screaming fans… absolutely nothing! And after all, I didn't want him to think I actually fancied him or anything...

A couple of hours had passed by when I realised I must've fallen asleep. I wiped my eyes and looked over at the clock. "Oh no, it's 3.00pm!" I said out loud, jumping off the bed and frantically fixing my hair. Char was going to be here in a matter of minutes!

I looked at myself in the mirror and decided to change my clothes. I put on a long royal blue skirt and a white off the shoulder three quarter length top, which flared a little at the elbows. I grabbed my black ankle boots and untied my long brown hair, letting it flow loosely down my back.

There was quite a lot of commotion going on downstairs; I could hear Hattie squealing as usual. The Prince probably looked in her direction once and now she thinks he's going to propose to her or something. I crept as softly as I could down the stairs and towards the back door.

"Where do you think you're going young lady?" My stepmother asked suddenly, making me jump.

"Oh, I'm… just going to a friend's house" I tried to sound convincingly.

"Whatever. Just make sure you're back in time to make dinner!"

I headed out the door and down the path a bit, rolled my eyes and muttered "How about you make your own dinner for once you lazy cow" I kept my eyes on the ground and kicked a rock as hard as I could.

"Good heavens! Are you trying to stone me to death?" A familiar voice called out.

I looked up and saw Char, looking just as gorgeous as he did this morning, if not more because his hair was now dry and full of beautiful brown curls.

"Whoops… I'm sorry, I didn't see you there" I said embarrassed as I motioned for him to follow me into the forest and out of sight from the house.

"It's good to see you again, Ella" He smiled, as he stopped me from walking by gently holding my upper arm, and turning me to face him.

I smiled awkwardly. "So where's your horse?" I asked, looking around aimlessly.

"Very eager, aren't you" He chuckled, taking my hand and leading me around the corner to where Flame was patiently waiting.

I wasn't concentrating on the horse at the moment though. Our fingers were entwined, and his hand felt so warm, so gentle… I looked over at Char; he was by my side, only a little in front as he was leading me across the path. A huge smile crept up on my face, I couldn't help it, this man was attracting me to him like a magnet. I know he's the prince, and I know I never wanted to be just like every other girl who fancied him... but he is gorgeous! He turned his head around to look at me and caught a glimpse of my huge grin and had a double take. A slight chuckle escaped his mouth.

"Is your arm feeling any better?" I asked.

"Yes, much better thank you. You done such an excellent job bandaging it up, I've almost forgotten about it being sprained"

I nodded, and then turned my attention onto the horse.

"Ok Ella, are you ready for this?" He asked, letting go of my hand and steadying Flame.

"Sure am!" I beamed happily.

"Alright, place your left foot in my hands and when I lift you up, swing your right leg over the other side" Char told me, kneeling down on the grass waiting for my foot.

"But it's not a good idea to put a lot of weight on your sore arm"

"Ella it's fine, really. Plus you don't look like you weigh that much at all" He said taking a quick glance over my body.

I blushed slightly and did as I was instructed by placing my foot in his hands. He lifted me up with hardly any effort and I positioned myself at the back of Flame's saddle, quickly smoothing down my long skirt. Char stepped up on the stirrup, carefully swung his leg around and sat down in front of me. Now we were extremely close, my body was pressing up against his back.

"Are you comfortable back there?" He asked.

I tried to calm down and relax a little so hopefully he couldn't feel my heart racing against his back.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I choked out.

"Don't be nervous Ella, you'll get used to the height, and I promise we won't go too fast" He said with a bit of humour in his voice.

I don't think it's so much the horse which is the cause my nerves right now, I thought to myself.

"You'd better hang on to me" He said, reaching back, taking one of my arms and wrapping it around his waist. My other arm immediately copied.

"Alright, let's go!" I announced, trying to hide the fact that I loved the feel of my arms around his body.

Char laughed and gently kicked Flame into a steady trot, and then we were off.

"Whoa" I gasped as I tried to get used to the movement of Flame as he trotted.

"It's ok" He gently said "Just relax"

I turned my head and admired the beautiful countryside of Frell, it really was a great feeling to just get up here on a horse and escape from all the troubles back at home. I let out a happy sigh and squeezed my arms a little tighter around Char's waist.

"So Char, where are we heading to?" I asked.

"Anywhere you want... Although I did see a rather nice spot as I was travelling through here before" He said.

"Excellent! …Can we try going a little faster?" I asked, feeling a little more confident.

Char laughed out loud "You bet!" And with that, he kicked Flame a little harder and we speed up instantly.

"Whoohoo!" I yelled out, feeling the cool breeze brush against my face. My hair was wildly blowing about but I didn't care, because right now I felt so… free. Before I knew it, surprisingly Char was joining in and yelling out with me.

Flame raced up a green grassy hill, and when we reached the top, the sight before us took my breath away. There was a beautiful large sparkling lake.

"Oh Char… It's so beautiful" I smiled taking in the surroundings.

"I thought you'd like it" He said while also admiring the view.

He led Flame down the other side of the hill until we stopped underneath a tree.

"Would you like to just relax here for a while?" He asked, turning his head around a little.

"Yes, that would be lovely" I hastily agreed.

Char gracefully dismounted Flame and landed with a soft thud on the grass. He then turned to face me, and reached his arms up. Slowly, I swung one leg around so I was sitting sideways on the horse and I reached down for Char's shoulders. He caught me around my waist and carefully brought me down onto the grass in front of him. It was like a romantic scene out of a movie, and it was almost perfect until… I lost my footing and stumbled awkwardly into his chest. Oh gosh, what a klutz! I thought to myself.

But Char only gave a slight chuckle and fixed me up so I was standing straight. I cleared my throat and pushed some loose strands of hair behind my ear. We sat down under an old oak tree, facing the lake. Char had one leg propped up and rested his sore arm on it.

"So, have you enjoyed your visit here in Frell? I asked, straightening out a crease in my skirt.

"Yes I have. It's a very pleasant town… with some very lovely people" He said smiling at me.

"A very different way of life to what you're used to I can imagine" Whoops, maybe I shouldn't have said that.

"I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean…" He said carefully.

"Look, Char… I know who you are" I said, looking straight into his eyes. Before he got the chance to say anything, I simply added

"You're the Prince of Kyrria".


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh" Was all he said after a moment of silence.

The gentle breeze blew my hair over my shoulders; I pushed it back and smiled. "It's ok; I'm not going to scream it to the world"

"So, you knew all along?" He asked inquisitively.

A short laugh escaped my mouth and I shook my head "No. This morning when I opened the front door, I didn't know who you were…"

"Yes, I thought it was a little strange that you didn't scream hysterically or desperately throw yourself at me, trying to win my affection" He smirked.

"Hey!" I cried out, leaning over and playfully hitting him on his shoulder. "I wouldn't have acted like that even if I had known who you were" I finished, folding my arms annoyed at the fact that he could possibly relate me to any of those stupid fan club girls.

He pretended that where I had hit his shoulder actually hurt, and he put on a sad puppy dog face.

"For someone who's supposed to be the future King, you're not very tough" I said teasingly.

Char raised one of his eyebrows in pretend shock, but quickly changed into an expression of what looked like an idea. He slowly leaned over to me with a slight smirk on his face. I darted my eyes from his face to the gap in which he was filling between us. What is he doing? Is he going to... kiss me? Before I knew it, he reached out and started wildly tickling me, causing me to squirm and cry out from laughter.

"No! Please… stop!" I cried, trying to block his hands.

"Looks like you're not so tough either, Ella" He chuckled. "I would like an apology from you"

"Ok, Ok! I'm sorry" I cried out in defeat.

He slowly released his hands from me and leant back a bit, his laughter filled the air. Before he could finish laughing, I scooped up a handful of grass and threw it at him. "Hey!" He protested, and went to grab some grass to throw back. But I had already stood up and started to run off.

"Come back here!" He demanded.

"Give me one good reason" I teased, heading down to the edge of the lake.

"Because… I've got the horse, and you need me to get you home"

I spun around and eyed him from a distance. He had a smug look on his face as he stood up, placing his hands behind his back and began to walk my way.

"I don't need you to get home. I've got legs, I can walk" I laughed.

"Oh is that so?" He asked, starting to get closer to me.

I nodded and eyed him suspiciously, knowing he had something behind his back. I stepped backwards, making sure I wasn't getting to close to the waters edge.

"So you wouldn't mind if I just got back on my horse and left you here?"

"Awe, but we were having so much…" Quickly I looked down and saw that I was now standing in shallow water. I kicked some in his direction, slightly wetting his pants and yelled. "…Fun!"

Char released a handful of gum nuts, trying to hit me with them, but I quickly ran around him.

"Now this means war!" He called after me.

"You tried to throw nuts at me!" I shrieked as he was quickly catching up behind me.

Just as my head was turned, I tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground, hitting the soft grass. Char managed to stop in time.

I rolled onto my back and looked up at him, shielding my face from the sun. He stood towering over me with a sneaky grin on his face.

"Truce?" I asked hopefully.

He sighed and offered me his hand. I took it, feeling grateful that he was being quite a gentleman and not wanting to get even.

"Thank you" I said, brushing off leaves from my clothes.

"Yes. Until next time, Ella"

We smiled and headed back to the grassy spot under the tree where we had been sitting before.

"I am curious though, when did you find out about who I was?" He asked.

"Oh, well you see after you had left this morning, my stepsisters arrived back home and couldn't contain their excitement at the fact that 'Prince Charmont' was coming to town…All that screaming is still ringing in my ears!"

Char sighed and mumbled "Yeah, I get that a lot"

There was silence between us for a moment. I watched as a butterfly slowly landed on my skirt and I gently scooped it into my hands, admiring its colours.

"You know, you're very different to how I would've expected the Prince of Kyrria to be"

He looked up at me, and saw the butterfly I had caught in my hands "Well you Ella, are not like any girl I've ever come across"

I raised my hands and let the butterfly continue on its journey. "No lady has ever dared to throw grass or splash water at me before" He chuckled.

"Well you started it Char, you're the one who tickled me remember?"

"You deserved it" He smirked.

Time flew by very quickly as we talked about everything from my love of animals, art and reading books, to his view on politics and how things were like around the castle. Before long, the sun had slowly set beyond the horizon, casting long dark shadows across the lake. Char happily sighed and laid down on his back, resting his hands behind his head.

"I've never done this before. Just getting away from the castle, admiring nature while spending time with a very interesting young lady... I could get used to this"

I smiled, laying down beside him and looked up at the tiny bright stars which were now scattered throughout the sky.

"This has been fun" I said.

Char moaned all of a sudden as if remembering something.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, turning my head to face him.

"It's just… I have to leave tonight. My guards were supposed to meet up with me and take me back to Lumeah…" He rolled over onto his side and looked down at me with a serious expression. "Ella, I was wondering… would you like to come back with me?"

My eyes opened wide in shock, his question caught me completely off guard. I sat up a bit and looked down at the space on the ground between us.

"Umm, Char… I don't know"

"Forgive me Ella, I'm sorry. You hardly know me and here I am, trying to take you away from your hometown" It looked like he was mentally scolding himself.

"Oh no, it's not that!" I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'd give anything to get away from my stepfamily. You're a great guy – It's just…" I trailed off, avoiding his gaze. "I'm not sure if it's right…"

He looked blankly at me for a moment, then he gazed at where my hand was resting on his shoulder. I quickly moved my hand back into my lap.

"Char, you said it yourself before. I'm not like other girls…"

"Yes, and I meant it! Ella, that's what makes you so interesting"

I peered down at my ordinary clothes. "I'm nothing special, I mean look at me"

"I am looking at you…" He whispered, gently lifting my chin up with his hand so that I was now looking straight into his bright blue eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Ella"

Char slowly moved in closer, his face nearing mine by the second until our lips were millimetres apart. I could feel his warm, steady breath against my face… and then, he kissed me. His lips were so soft and gentle; I felt a tingling sensation run through my entire body like an electric shock. I moved one of my hands up to his cheek and ran it through the side of his thick curly hair. He instantly moved one of his hands around my waist and pulled me closer against his warm body, while his other hand caressed my cheek. This was the most wonderful moment in my entire life; nothing could ruin this…

... Until all of a sudden it started to rain. And I mean it poured down.


	4. Chapter 4

We ended the kiss and looked up into the dark, cloudy sky above us.

Char laughed incredulously. "You wouldn't believe it!"

A bright flash of lightning filled the sky, which was followed closely by a loud clap of thunder. As a reflex, I covered my head with my hands.

"We better find some shelter" Char yelled over the rain, taking my hand and helping me stand up.

"There's a tavern not far from here, we can stay there until the storm passes" I said.

"Alright, let's go"

I quickly followed behind Char to where Flame was standing; when I looked down and noticed that my white top was now completely see through. I turned my back to him as he fixed the saddle and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You must be freezing, put this on" Char said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around my soaking wet body. I thanked him as we quickly got up on top of the horse.

It wasn't long before we reached the tavern, riding into a stable around the side. We tied Flame up and made our way inside to get out of the rain. Surprisingly there were quite a few people, mostly older men, in there eating and drinking beer. No-one seemed to notice us enter, as they were all most likely too drunk to even care. I looked over at Char, who looked back at me with a concerned look on his face. I couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"Can I help you?" A middle aged woman in staff uniform approached us, cutting me short of my laughter.

"Hi. We're just wondering if we could stay here for a while until the storm passes." I said politely.

"Sure you can!" The lady replied happily "You two are drenched. How about I go get you some bath robes to change into?"

"Umm, that's really…" But before I could protest, the lady rushed off. "…not necessary" I finished anyway.

She came back a minute later and handed us two white bath robes. "If you want to get away from all these rowdy guys, I can get you two a quiet room and send you up some dinner. How does that sound?"

Char and I looked at each other, and I felt a little awkward. I have only just met this guy today, and he happens to be the Prince of Kyrria… I couldn't be in a bedroom with him! But Char's voice snapped me out of it. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you". He said.

I shot him a surprised look while the lady checked to see if there were any available rooms.

"What?" He questioned me. "Would you rather stay down here with these drunken men?"

"No…"

We followed the lady up the narrow staircase, she pointed us down the hallway and handed us the key to room number 8. The hallway was long and dark, and smelt strongly of stale beer. As I followed closely behind Char, something sticky plastered my shoe to the ground, causing my foot to come out of it. I sighed and bent down to find my shoe when all of a sudden, someone bumped into the back of me.

"Well, look what we have here" A drunken man laughed. He firmly grabbed my upper arm and spun me around to face him. I coughed as he breathed cigarette smoke into my face.

"Hey! Get you're filthy hands off her!" Char demanded in a deep, threatening voice.

The drunken man released his grip on me, and I quickly moved over behind Char.

"How much you want? I'll take her off your hands" The man slurred.

"She's not for sale you horrid, vulgar man!" Char said again in that deep voice, although this time he sounded angrier. "How dare you speak like that to a lady!" He then turned to me and gently pushed me down the hallway.

"If you change your mind, I'm in room 2" I heard the man call out.

"Ewwww" I groaned.

"Just ignore him" Char whispered, keeping me close by his side until we got to our room. "Ah, here we go. Number 8" He said while struggling to find the key hole in the dark. Finally the door opened and we stepped inside, flicking on the light. There was only a double bed, and a small bathroom.

I made sure the lock on the door was securely fastened so that creepy man couldn't get in. "Can you believe the nerve of that creep?"

"I know. It repulses me! ...Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" I said, about to take Char's jacket off my shoulders when I remembered about my see through top. "Can I have the bathroom first?" I asked him.

"Sure, go for it" He smiled.

I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. My hair looked terrible but I didn't really care, right now I just wanted to get out of these wet clothes. I made sure my long white bath robe was tied up tight, seeing as though I had nothing else underneath, and stepped out into the room. Char was looking out the small window on the other side of the room and turned to face me as he heard the bathroom door open. He quickly looked me up and down and cleared his throat.

"Don't you dare laugh at me, you have to wear one too" I said, thinking that he must have thought I looked amusing.

He said nothing as he walked passed me, grabbed his own robe and closed the bathroom door behind him. As Char was getting changed, there was a knock at the door.

"Dinner's ready!" The lady called out.

I opened the door, thanked her very much and took the tray.

"Mmm, what smells so good?" Char inquired, exiting the bathroom as I placed the tray on the double bed, seeing as though there were no tables in the room.

I sat cross legged on one end of the bed and opened one of the lids covering the plate. "Ooh, its roast beef, mashed potato and vegetables. Looks great"

"Fantastic, I'm positively starving" Char exclaimed, sitting down next to me on the bed.

I looked up and instantly laughed at the sight of him in a bath robe.

"Ella!" He protested "I had the decency not to laugh at you"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it" I replied, reaching for my knife and fork. "It suits you though. You look cute" I smiled eating a fork full of mashed potato.

Char muttered something inaudible, cut a piece out of his roast beef and ate it, shaking his head at me.

"What was that, Char?" I asked teasingly. "I didn't quite catch it"

"You will speak of this to no one!" He warned me by pointing his finger. I laughed and playfully pushed his hand away.

Once we had finished eating dinner I stood up, straightened my robe and walked over to the window. The thunder had stopped, but the rain was bucketing down and I could hear the wind howling.

"What are we going to do? There's no way we can ride out in that" I said, stepping aside as Char approached, wanting to have a look for himself.

"Oh well, we could spend the night here. It's not so bad" He replied, nudging my upper arm with his elbow.

I took a glance around the room, remembered the double bed and folded my arms across my chest. I've never been in this sort of situation before and I started to freak out.

"Look. I don't know what you're intentions are, but I assure you I'm not that kind of girl…"

"Oh no, no, no! I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that… Ella, I'm not the dishonorable type. I have respect for women, I would never hurt you!"

I nodded and said rather shyly "I know... It's just - this is kind of awkward"

There was a moment of silence before suddenly Char looked as if an idea had crossed his mind.

"Can you dance, Ella?"

I eyed him suspiciously "Yes, of course I can but-" I didn't get to finish as he snaked his arm around my back, took hold of my right hand and led me to the middle of the room.

"Char-"

"Sssh" He whispered, cutting me off. He started to hum to a tune as we gently swayed across the carpet. "Just follow my lead" He smiled, closing his eyes.

"Ok…" I giggled as he pulled a funny face while spining me around.

"Ella, in two days time my father is holding a royal ball, and… I would like to invite you"

I suddenly lost my footing and tripped backwards, accidentally pulling Char with me onto the bed. He landed on top of me, but managed to quickly put his hands on the bed either side of my shoulders, supporting his weight without squashing me. We instantly looked at each other and burst out laughing. I sighed and Char cleared his throat.

"Ella, I can't have you doing this at the ball. Come on, we'd better practice some more"

He got off and offered for me to take his hand. I sat up slowly but remained seated on the edge of the bed.

"You're inviting me to a royal ball?" I asked looking up at him with disbelief.

"Yes. I would love for you to be there" He replied.

"Are you sure I'll be aloud?"

"Of course you will! I can invite who ever I want" He chuckled.

"No-one is going to know who I am. I'll feel so out of place"

"Ella" He sighed, sitting down beside me. "I know who you are and that's all that matters. Anyway, I'll be able to introduce you to my parents. They would really like you"

"Well… I don't have a proper dress to wear. I can't meet the King and Queen of Kyrria in this" I said tugging at my bath robe.

He grabbed my hands to stop them from fiddling and held them in his own. "Stop trying to come up with excuses. We've got professional dress makers Ella; they'll design one for you out of any colour material you like"

"What about shoes?"

"We've got wardrobes full of them; you can take your pick"

"…You really want me to go, don't you?" I asked.

"Ella, you don't have to go if you don't want to. It's just… I really don't want to be in a room full of stuck-up boring rich girls. I want to be with you!"

I turned to look him in the eyes and smiled as he awaited my response. "I suppose it's not everyday I get a Prince inviting me to a ball…"

"One should hope not" Char interrupted.

"So… I accept your invitation"

He gave me one of his lovely wide smiles and started to lean in a little towards me, when a loud knocking sound thumped on the door. We both jumped a little, startled by the noise.

"Who could that be?" I whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

"Stay right there, I'll go see who it is" Char whispered to me. He stood up, headed over to the door and called out. "Who is it?"

"Prince Charmont, is that you?" A deep, stern voice bellowed from the other side.

Char momentarily stared blankly at the closed door. "Who's asking?"

"It's me, Eric. The men and I have been looking for you all over Frell. You must come with us at once, you're father requests you back at the castle immediately".

"What's wrong, has something happened?" Char demanded hastily.

"Nothing's wrong, your father just requests you to come back to Lumeah at once"

Char turned around to face me. I just sat there staring back at him as I didn't know what was going on.

"Come with me?" He asked, whispering the words so softly that I actually had to read his lips. Without thinking twice, I nodded my head to indicate yes. He smiled brightly as he turned back to the closed door. "I have someone here who will be traveling with us. Give us a moment to collect our things and we'll be right out".

"As you wish, your majesty" The man responded.

Char turned around and swiftly headed over to my side. I stood up and straightened my robe.

"Eric is my number one guard. He and the others will make sure we arrive safely back to Lumeah"

"Ok…" I said, fiddling with the material cord around my waist.

"Ella, are you certain you want to do this?"

"Yes, of course! I don't really want to stay here all by myself, it's a little creepy"

"Oh, so you just want to get out of here?" Char suddenly turned his back on me. "Well if that's the only reason, then maybe I should take you back to your stepfamily…"

"No!" I blurted out, rushing to his side. "Char, I –" Immediately I stopped myself, as I noticed a sneaky grin appear on his face. I pouted and crossed my arms realising that it was just a trick to get me to confess I wanted to be with him.

Char looked down at me, enjoying the fact that he had me embarrassed. "So, will you be accompanying me?"

I stood silent for a moment, still peeved with him. "Seeing as though you clearly can't live without me… I suppose I'll have to" I confidently spoke up, giving him a satisfied grin.

He rolled his eyes "Ha, ha. Real funny… Now go get changed. We can't very well be seen in these robes"

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to get photographed looking like that!" I teased, rushing into the bathroom just in time before he threw a pillow in my direction.

Once we had both gotten changed out of our robes and back into our damp clothes, we grabbed the key and headed out into the hallway. Eric was impatiently waiting for us, leaning against the wall. He was a solid man, probably in his mid thirties. As he noticed me, he raised an eyebrow and shot Char a concerned look.

"Eric this is Ella, I met her earlier today as she so kindly bandaged my arm"

"I see…" Was all he said before he took the key from Char and headed down the hallway.

Char took my hand and whispered in my ear "He's always been so serious. Never shows much emotion"

"I supposed you can't expect any more than that from a guard" I whispered back.

He smiled and gave my hand a slight squeeze as we followed after Eric. We made our way down the staircase and I noticed nothing much had changed. The room was still full of drunken men talking loudly and acting stupid. Eric placed the key down on the table in front of the lady who had accommodated us. "Won't be needing this after all" He said sternly, walking off towards the front door.

"Thank you very much for your kind hospitality" Char smiled to her.

"Dinner was lovely" I added.

The lady stood there frozen, her eyes fixated on Char. "I can't believe I didn't recognise you earlier. Please forgive me your majesty"

Char nodded awkwardly "It's alright, you're forgiven"

With that, we quickly left the tavern, stepping outside. It was freezing and the wind was blowing wildly, but at least the rain had stopped for the time being. A royal carriage was waiting for us, accompanied by two men on horses. I noticed Flame was also attached to the front of the carriage. Eric opened the door for us.

"Ladies first" Char offered outstretching his arm, motioning for me to step in. I ducked my head and moved over to the right hand side of the carriage, making room for Char. He followed me in and sat beside me. Eric closed the door shut, stepped up on top of the carriage, sat down and took hold of the reins.

"How long does it take to get to Lumeah?" I asked, shivering a little from the cold air, and the fact that my clothes were still damp.

"At least five hours. So make yourself comfortable, it's a long trip" Char said, taking off his jacket and placing it around me.

"Wow, that's quite a long way indeed"

He sighed. "Yeah, my father wanted me to get out and meet the people… It was worth it after all"

I turned my head so I could look at Char. Why is this man – this Prince, being so nice to me? I'm just an ordinary girl… he should be courting some pretty rich girl, not me! I shouldn't be complaining though. He's such a lovely person, so gorgeous…

"Ella, are you alright?" Char questioned with a slight smirk on his face.

I blinked a couple of times, snapping back to reality and gently bit my lower lip in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I was just um… Well, you've kind of got something… here" I said, reaching my hand up and gently brushing his chin, pretending that he had food or something on it.

Char caught my hand before I could take it away, and lightly gave it a kiss as he looked straight into my eyes. He then moved his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.

"You should get some rest, it's quite late" He whispered.

I laid my head against his shoulder and quietly yawned. "Good night Char"

There was a slight pause before he kissed the top of my head. "Good night Ella…"

My eyes were starting to feel very heavy. I brought my legs up on the seat, got comfortable and closed my eyes.

"…I love you" I thought I heard him whisper ever so quietly. I mentally shook my head. Nah, he wouldn't have said that. It was just in my imagination… wasn't it?

* * *

A bright golden ray of sunlight was cast over my face. I kept my eyes shut and enjoyed the warm sensation. Somehow I had forgotten that I was in a carriage with Char, and thought I was back in my bed at home. I wriggled my head deeper into my 'pillow' and happily sighed. Hold on… do pillows breathe in and out?

I shot my eyes open immediately and realised my head was resting on Char's stomach. I tried to get up, but something was holding me in place… I turned my head to see Char's arm wrapped firmly around my waist. Slowly, I turned my head towards him to see if he was still asleep. It looked like he was. His eyes were shut and his head was resting awkwardly against the window of the carriage. I couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh. He looked absolutely gorgeous!

All of a sudden his eyes started to flicker open, so I quickly closed mine. I didn't want him to see me starring at him while he slept. His arm around my waist slowly lifted off me and I thought to myself, damn it! Then I felt his finger tips gently tuck some stray bits of hair behind my ear. Ok, I'll act casual and open my eyes. I did, and I saw Char's beautiful smiling face looking down at me.

"Good morning" He beamed.

"Good morning" I replied, slowly sitting up next to him and stretching my arms in front of me.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Yes I did, thank you" I said, taking his jacket off me and handing it back to him. That was when I noticed the view from outside the carriage window. "Wow!" I exclaimed.

Char turned his head to look out the window as well. "Here we are. Welcome to Lumeah!"


	6. Chapter 6

I stared in awe, while unknowingly leaning closer to Char's side of the carriage. "It's amazing" I said, looking out at the huge light grey stoned castle which now stood before us. "You'd get lost in there…"

"It takes a bit of getting used to" Char said, causing me to jump a little.

I hadn't realised that our faces had gotten that close. Every little freckle on his face was visible; I never noticed that he had that many. My hand longed to touch his cheek, and I could see in his eyes that he was also deep in thought. All of a sudden, the carriage ran over a rock and my body involuntarily pressed up against his. I quickly apologized and returned back to my side of the carriage.

We sat in silence after that, and watched as the carriage approached the main gates to the castle. There were seven guards keeping watch around the entrance. They opened the huge steel gates for us and we made our way up the pathway. Eric jumped off the carriage and opened the door for us. He then informed Char that he was to see his father in the main dining room at once. Char nodded and asked me to come with him so he could introduce me to his parents. He held my hand tightly as we rushed through the corridors, up the staircase and into the main dining area, where Char came to a complete stop.

The King and Queen were seated at a large table, accompanied by an older lady and what looked like her daughter. The young woman, who looked about my age, had long blonde hair and looked rather well off if her dress had anything to say about her. Everyone stopped talking and looked in our direction.

"Well it's about time young man! I thought I sent word for you to come in here immediately" The King spoke rather rudely, given that he had quests with him. He suddenly realised this and apologized to the lady and her daughter, saying that Char isn't normally late like this.

"I'm sorry Father, we were held up because of the storm". He let go of my hand and motioned for me to come further into the room with him. "This is Ella, she's from the town of Frell and I thought that…"

"I didn't know you were hosting any of the tour guides" His mother, Queen of Kyrria suddenly spoke up.

"Mother, she's a guest!" Char informed her.

At that moment, the mother of the young blonde girl coughed to gain attention.

"Lady Margaret, I'm terribly sorry. Please forgive us" The Queen said. "Char, this is Lady Margaret of Bast and her lovely young daughter, Isabelle".

"Pleased to finally meet you, Prince Charmont" Lady Margaret smiled.

"Likewise" Char answered, sounding a little annoyed.

Isabelle just sat there smiling at Char, checking him out from head to toe. I apparently was invisible. This is extremely awkward I thought to myself, should I just leave?

"Char, take a seat. We would like to discuss a couple of matters with you" The King sternly demanded.

"I better go" I whispered to Char. By the look on his face, he was clearly not impressed with the whole situation.

"No, you only just got here!" He said, turning to face me and taking hold of my hands.

I wriggled my hands free from his grip and apologized to everyone in the room before quickly making an exit. I heard Char call my name, but I ignored him and walked down the hallway, a little upset that his parents clearly were not interested in knowing me. Just as I turned one of the corners rather swiftly, I accidentally bumped into someone carrying pillows.

"Oh, forgive me. I'm so sorry" I said, bending down to help pick some of the pillows up from the floor.

"That's ok. Lucky I was only carrying pillows and not crockery" A middle aged woman said, as she looked over at me. "You're the girl I saw arrive with the Prince, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah" I said a little awkwardly, handing her back the pillows.

"Hi, my name is Kathy. I'm one of the castle maids"

"I'm Ella" I smiled politely.

"You came all the way from Frell?" She asked.

"Yes. It was quite a long journey"

"Oh, you must be starving! Come with me, I'll make you something and you can tell me all about it".

I followed Kathy into the kitchen and took a seat on a nearby stool. She made me a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich and handed me a glass of orange juice.

"Thank you very much"

"That's no problem at all my dear, I have to make sure Char's guests are well looked after" She smiled, taking a seat on the stool opposite me. "Especially seeing as though you're the first lady he's actually invited into the castle"

I swallowed what was in my mouth and looked over at her. "I thought Char would've had many girls…"

"Well, yes. Daughters of rich mothers are constantly begging to meet him, but he's never actually -"

"Kathy!" A man in a chef's hat rushed over with a silver platter full of food. "Can you attend to our real quests, this platter needs to be taken to the dining room immediately!" The man left it on the table and rushed back into the kitchen.

"I'm dreadfully sorry" Kathy said to me. "I hope I get the chance to talk with you again, Ella". And with that, she picked up the platter and rushed out the room.

After I had finished eating, I decided to check out the castle on my own. So I made my way down a long corridor until I came to a huge open floored room. This must be the ballroom, I thought to myself as I admired its grandeur. Over to the far left I noticed a huge balcony, so I made my way through the room to go have a look. I rested against the balcony rail and admired the wonderful view of Lemeah. I could see outside the walls of the castle and down at the people selling goods at the local market place. I took it all in and sighed heavily.

At least an hour must have passed by before I heard someone yelling my name from the courtyard below. I looked down and saw Char frantically searching around for me.

"I'm up here" I called out to him.

"Ella!" He called out in relief, as he looked up and saw me. "Wait right there!"

I nodded and looked out at the horizon. Before I knew it, Char had rushed through the castle, reached my side and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Oh thank heavens!" He breathed heavily. "I've been looking all over for you; I thought you'd left the castle"

As I continued to stare at the horizon I let out a short laugh. "I'm not going to travel for five hours, just to stay here for five minutes"

Char let out a quick laugh before turning completely serious. He leant his back against the railing, and looked down at his shoes. "I can't believe the way my parents treated you! I'm so sorry Ella, that was totally unexpected…."

After a couple of minutes of complete silence, he turned to face me. "My parents are trying to set me up with Isabelle… They want me to spend time with her at the ball".

I turned to face him; he looked so depressed and outraged at the idea.

"She looked beautiful" I stated simply.

Char looked into my eyes and then gently placed one of his hands over mine, which was resting on the balcony rail.

"I'm not interested in her" He said seriously. "She's just like all the others!"

I looked away to avoid his intense gaze, his eyes made me melt. "Do you get this a lot?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Girls being thrust upon you" I elaborated.

Char sighed, let go of my hand and rubbed the side of his head. "Ella, I'm a Prince. Many girls are going to be 'thrust' upon me… I don't go looking for them, I don't ask them to join me for dinner, and I most certainly don't enjoy the fact that I never get any say in the matter!"

I watched him as he spoke with such frustration, and noticed that he had firmly clenched the top of the railing.

"I'm sorry…" I said quietly, placing a hand on his back. "… I didn't mean to make you angry"

Char slowly relaxed his body and turned to face me. "Forgive me. It's just so stressful around here sometimes…" He sighed and took a deep breath. "Sometimes I wish I was a normal person like you"

"Char, you are a normal person. You just have responsibilities that others don't. If you're tired of having your parents constantly set you up with girls, you should talk to them about it. Tell them how you feel. You should be free to make your own choices!"

"I will. I want to! Tomorrow, before the ball I want to properly introduce you to them. Show them how amazing you are…"

"Maybe you should keep me out of this Char… I can keep a low profile. I'm pretty good at blending in –"

"I don't want you to blend in!" He interrupted. "I want you to stand out!"

I smiled and let out a quick laugh.

"Now, how would you like a tour of the castle?" He asked, outstretching his hand.

I smiled and placed my hand in his. "Yes, that would be lovely"


End file.
